


How You Play The Game

by Katherine



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2019-10-04
Packaged: 2020-11-09 07:55:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20850062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katherine/pseuds/Katherine
Summary: Which activities Shadow Weaver disliked or tolerated (or, very rarely indeed, approved of) changed from day to day. Sometimes tag was "building skills", sometimes the same game of chase was "disruptive". Staying out of her way was almost always the best, and quiet games once they had tucked themselves away somewhere.





	How You Play The Game

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Redrikki](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redrikki/gifts).

Which activities Shadow Weaver disliked or tolerated (or, very rarely indeed, approved of) changed from day to day. Sometimes tag was "building skills", sometimes the same game of chase was "disruptive". Staying out of her way was almost always the best, and quiet games once they had tucked themselves away somewhere.

The children in the Fright Zone would certainly get into trouble if they tried to play a game all together, especially a noisy one. Catra snuck around on her own, and was great at finding secret rooms. This one was small and musty smelling, but a good hiding place, away from Shadow Weaver. Apart, also, from the other children. But this was not second best; Adora preferred time with only Catra. Even when Catra was twitching her tail while glaring at the board.

It was an okay game, complicated and long and there were times when they made up different rules. Adora rubbed her thumb along the edges of the stack of coloured paper she had gained so far, waiting for Catra to take her turn. Catra paused, claw-tips over the piece that represented her, pulled her hand back and further considered what possible moves Adora had left her.

Adora was startled when Catra flung the board away from them both, but should have expected it, maybe. The game had been nearly done, Adora winning, and Catra didn't ever like to lose. Catra's tail had been moving faster, from side to side, but sometimes that happened when she was excited. Not only when she was mad. 

But now the parts of the game were all over the floor, and even if Catra helped pick them up, she and Adora might not find everything. A few of the cards were already replaced with makeshifts, squares of paper torn not quite to the same size.

The pieces you had to pick from and move on the board to show where you were, those were silly anyway. Who wanted to pretend to be a hat. Still, you had to have something or other marking your place in the game.

*

Catra's temper cooled quickly, as usual. When they were next together, and Catra had climbed up to pull that dusty game box from its hidden spot, Adora didn't want to break the improved mood by reminding her that they were missing pieces. She didn't have to.

Some time over the last weeks, in secret deeper than the secrets that she and Adora had together, Catra had made two replacement pieces. These were carved in a many-cornered shape and each was painted with the familiar symbol of the Horde. They looked rather like the Force Captain badges that both Adora and Catra were getting old enough to covet.

Adora closed her hand around her new piece, liking the feel of it. Catra had gouged two cat eye shapes into her own.

It was kind of difficult, actually, to see which piece was whose. Adora soon figured out that she liked that, the way she and Catra had to look carefully before making a move, check with each other. Playing with Catra was way more fun than fighting against her.


End file.
